Come Back Alive
by Youkai Koneko
Summary: 5 Konoha shinobi are summoned to the dangerous mission of going into enemy territory and taking out anyone and anything they see. They're torn between love and duty, and their kunoichi fare no better. Will they keep their promises, or will they betray the
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Come Back Alive**

**Summary: A dangerous mission has torn 5 Konoha shinobi from the ones they love. Will they survive through the life-threatening long time enemy's territory, escape his men, and return safely home? Will the kunoichi be alright, or will they break their promises?**

**Rating: T+**

**Pairings: NejiTen, ShikaTema, NaruHina, SasuSaku, KibaIno**

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Come Back Alive

The five shinobi from Konohagakure assembled at the main gate, checking their inventory and going through the mission details again.

"Alright, so does everyone understand? We get in, we get out; and be as careful as possible? Got it?"

"Yahoo!"

"Ruff, ruff!"

"Let's go."

"Oh yeah! Another mission!"

"Hn."

Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru, Sasuke, and Neji had an S-Class mission to go on. Its objective: Go on guard into rumored Orochimaru-territory and take out any and all of his subordinates, and, if sighted, Orochimaru himself. It would be one of the most dangerous missions ever taken on by these Konoha shinobi, and they would be away, at the very least, for 6 months.

And they all had significant others to say goodbye to for, what may be, the final time.

None of them, that is to say, the kunoichi had arrived yet, but knowing them, they'd be there any second. Tsunade had called them to her office earlier to deliver them the bad news, not wanting the men to be any more burdened then they already were. Their Hokage had even given them apologetic looks as she explained the mission to them. Because she knew how hard it would be to leave the one you loved and possibly leave them forever, the men soon realized as they stood patiently at the gate.

And, as if on cue, a head of pink hair came speeding toward them, running straight into Sasuke, sobbing. The other four followed slowly behind her, coming from a distance at different intervals.

"Sa-Sasuke... please, take me with you! I don't want you going after that madman and his followers without me; I can't take it!" Sakura was shaking and struggling to keep her arms around Sasuke's neck. The raven haired man put a hand on her back and rubbed it, kissing her hair.

"Sakura… I love you. But you can't go." She looked up at him, shocked in her tears. "I'm sorry." That just reduced her to tears again.

"It's Orochimaru! You promised me... you promised me you wouldn't go!"

"That's right, Sakura, it is Orochimaru. That's why I have to go. I know him the best... which will give us the chance we need to kill him." She looked up in sudden understanding, nodding.

"I'm... I'm going to fall apart without you, Sasuke... just like last time!"

Sasuke flinched as her words hit him. "Sakura... I'm not leaving the village this time: I'm leaving so I can assist in killing the man who led me to leave. Can you wait for me until then?"

Sakura ran into him, clutching his shoulders with her fingernails and whimpered pitifully. "But.. he hurt you so bad! He made you change! What if the Sasuke that come back isn't the one that I fell in love with?!" Sasuke pulled her head from his chest and kissed her hard and long, un-binding himself from her as he did so.

"That there, that's your reason. The Sasuke that I am, the Sasuke that I was, and the Sasuke that I may change into will always love Haruno Sakura. And my love for you will keep me from being consumed. I'll always be the Sasuke you love, Sakura. Remember that, and remember me... Then, when you awake, there will be something else to help you remember." And then he disappeared, reappearing behind her, his hand raised. Sakura knew what was coming, and closed her eyes. He leaned his mouth to her ear and whispered,

"Sakura... I love you." She tensed up and tried not to cry any more, but trails of liquid slid down her face anyway.

"I love you too, Sasuke." And he knocked her out, laying her gently on the ground and kissing her forehead. Then he walked beyond the gate, facing away from Konoha.

Ino didn't cry as hard as Sakura did, but did wipe her tears away furiously when she reached Kiba. "You idiot! I don't care if you have your damned dog with you to help you out, you're an idiot for taking a mission like this! How could you do that, you mutt?!" More tears replaced the ones that had spilled earlier and Kiba took her in his arms, petting her hair.

"It's gonna be OK, Ino… We're not gonna die that easily. Isn't that right, boy?" Akamaru barked in response and nuzzled Ino's hand. She massaged his large head and scratched his ears, finding small comfort in it.

"Orochimaru is--"

"-Gonna be dead when we get through with him. I know. You don't have to remind me how monstrously strong and sexy I am, Ino-chan," Kiba joked, which made Ino laugh. He wiped her tears and smiled. "See, not so hard. Cheer up, Ino-chan."

"I'm going to miss you, Kiba-kun." He hugged her tighter.

"I know Ino-chan. I know." He lifted her chin and kissed her lips long and sweet in a farewell fashion, and then whispered in her ear, "After I leave, go to your house and look in your room. There's something special in there, just for you." She nodded quickly and kissed him again, pulling him as tight to her as she could before he had to go. He peeled out of her grasp and went beyond the gate with Sasuke, who looked torn but determined, facing away from Konoha and his unconcious Sakura.

Temari swiftly slapped Shikamaru as soon as he was in reach. "You lazy-ass cry baby, how could you do something as retarded as this?! You can die on this mission! Do you know what the hell that would do to me? Do you?"

The laid back man recovered from the slap, rubbing his cheek thoughtfully before looking up at the Sand kunoichi. "Yeah, I do. Which is why I'm gonna think up every plan I can to get myself and everyone else back home alive. Then you can yell at me all you want, troublesome woman." Temari seemed to take that to heart, and yelled up a stream of curses and insults at him, her throat getting more constricted with every syllable, until finally she let some tears escape.

"You're a cry baby and a little wimp, Shikamaru… How can I just let you go out there and get yourself killed? How can I let you go without me?!" Shikamaru wiped her tears and held her cheek.

"I just said it, Temari, I'm not gonna die. I'm gonna think up every strategy I can, every plan that I can, and work at it so I can get home back to you with the guys flanking me. I'm not going to die, and I'm not going to let them die. And you can't go because I don't want you too. Can you get that, Temari?"

She hit him again, pushed a small decorative fan into his pocket and hugged him, hiding her face in his shoulder. "Stop acting like you don't matter to me! Because you do Shika, you do!" Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her waist and held her there.

"I know, Tema…" He looked into his pocket and saw that the fan had the words "ShikaxTema since Summer 2005" A faded head shot of Temari and Shikamaru kissing was visible upon spreading the fan to its full length. The kanji for "I love you" was above them in light lavender. He smiled at it.

"Love you too, Temari." He kissed her once, Temari not seeming to want to let him go, and then backed away with the other 2 men beyond the gate.

When Naruto laid eyes on Hinata's shaking form, he rushed up and pulled her into his chest, rubbing her back in comfort. "Oi, oi Hina-chan. Don't cry over me. I'll be fine." He gave her a foxy grin.

She lifted her head a little from his chest so he could see her eyes. The pupil-less pearl-colored orbs were red-rimmed and puffed around the edges, the moisture streaming out of the ends like rivers. "Oh, Naruto-kun!" She believed him with every fiber of her being, but her mind couldn't help but wander into those deep, depressing waters. A life without Naruto… Hearing about his death from the ANBU Black Ops and going to his funeral… Hearing he fought bravely, but ultimately died trying to escape…

The young woman let out a small cry and tightened her arms around her lover, trying to hold him here. "Please don't leave, Naruto-kun, please don't leave!" Naruto just closed his eyes and gripped her in the same fashion, tucking the side of his chin to her forehead.

"I'll be alright, Hina-chan. 'Sides, I'll have all the guys with me! Right Shikamaru, Kiba, Sasuke, Neji?"

Akamaru barked angrily. "Oh, and Akamaru of course!" Then he looked back down to her again, his expression getting sober. "Hinata-chan…" He kissed her lips and drew her even closer, making Hinata gasp and turn bright red. Then she too closed her eyes and kissed him back. When they finally broke apart for air, Hinata collapsed on Naruto's chest and gasped, clutching her chest and his.

"I l-love you, Naruto-kun."

"I love you too, Hinata-chan." He let go and pressed something in her hand, grinning. "So you don't forget me, 'k?" She opened her hand to expose a bracelet with 6 charms on it: a toad, a Kyuubi, a Konoha symbol, a bowl of ramen, a Hokage hat, and…

"The kanji for Hinata is on there cuz you're a part of me, Hinata-chan! You're everything I love and everything I fight for, and not to mention you're kawaii! Everything that makes me up is on that bracelet, and I want you to have it so you don't forget me, 'k?"

Hinata's face scrunched up in tears again as she wrapped her arms around her Naruto-kun again, Naruto himself rubbing her back and kissing her hair softly. "I gotta go now, Hinata-chan…" He stepped back out of her grip with some difficulty and went to stand beyond the gate with the other 3 boys. Only Neji's goodbye was left now.

Neji looked around for his love, and there she was, a little off to the side, leaning on the frame of the gate and watching the scenes, her eyes showing signs of watering.

"TenTen."

She looked up at his voice and sucked in a breath, preparing to say something. Neji waited, but wasn't expecting this:

"You baka, Neji. I don't care how strong you've gotten, how much your skills have improved, how much of a genius you are… you're not going to escape unscathed, and Neji, that scares me." He had never heard her admit she was scared, but said nothing, so she continued. "Last time you went up against his forces you nearly died. That madman punched _holes _in you! How are you going to come back to me this time, if you even come back at all?! Do you know what it's like, sitting in that damn apartment all by myself, just sitting there and waiting?" Her voice was thick; she was suppressing tears. Everyone turned around in surprise: They had never heard TenTen sound like that, especially not with Neji. She looked so fragile, something that was unlike her.

"I'm always hoping, praying, on my damn knees that you'll come back alive. Not unscathed, not without handicaps, but _alive!_ You have no idea how heartbreaking it is, to hear about ninjas the same rank as you dying on missions like this… and having the nightmares afterward. You're a baka, Neji." Her words struck a painful chord in the other couples. They stole a longing glance before the men regained their resolve and looked away.

She held her hands in front of her chest and clasped them in a very un-TenTenish way, like she was trying to hold herself together. Neji took her hands and held them in his own, looking into her eyes, which held tears that threatened to spill over her eyelids. She made her irises avoid his, instead looking down at her feet.

"Baka I may be, but this baka doesn't go down without a fight. And when I go down, I come right back up." He gave her a serious look. "I'm not dying on this mission, TenTen." She looked up and chocolate brown met light lavender pearl, a stubborn look on her face.

"I'm going."

"You're not."

"I could help-"

"You'd only distract me from my duties and you know it. Don't take on a suicide mission, TenTen!" The words came out before he could stop them, and TenTen took a step back, running into the gate frame.

"N-Neji…" She looked down at her hands and then at his face, which was filled with regret now. The tears were finally coming down. "You just said… suicide mission…" She shook her head firmly as if to deny it, her buns slowly coming loose. "No."

"TenTen, I--"

"If that was the case then why the hell did you take it?! _I know you!_ You're going to go out there, knowing that they know your weakness, your blind spot, and try to take them down! You're going to go out there and you're going to die!" She grasped his shoulders and shook them, trying to keep a hold of herself as her tears fell onto the ground. "And I can't come with you…" She pulled him down to her and wrapped her arms around his neck, wiping her tears into his hair. "I can't come with you!"

Neji rubbed her back and pulled her into him, allowing her to let everything out into his shirt. It was short lived, however; she stopped her shaking and promptly kissed him as hard as she could, yanking his head to hers and trying to drag him toward the village as she did so. Neji kissed back, making it deeper and probing his tongue into her mouth, rooting her and himself to the spot, continuing to make what could possibly be his final goodbye memorable. She kissed him back with just as much vigor, her fingers wrapping themselves in his velvet locks just as his were twisting through the soft strands of hers, pulling the buns all the way out.

No one had ever seen them be so intimate in public before: perhaps a hand brush, an intense look, a quickened breath, but that was it. None of the passion they saw was normal, was customary for what they pegged Neji and TenTen to be. The other girls looked on at the two with watery eyes, knowing just how hard it was to their men go; TenTen wasn't letting hers go without a fight.

The two kissing ninjas broke apart once, and then went back again. Neji was breaking the kiss more and more frequently to try and leave.

"Neji, don't leave--" He kissed her again to shut her up. "Please don't--" Another kiss.

"TenTen, please stop--"

"I'm not going t--"

"I have to lea--" At their next kiss, some new tears escaped from the bun-head's eyes.

"You can't--"

"I must--" He sounded like he was pleading, just as she was.

Finally they stopped their kissing-and-hissing and just touched each other's foreheads together, breathing hard. Neji quickly wiped the brunette's new tears away with his thumbs and kissed her eyelids sweetly and solemnly, in a farewell sort of way. "TenTen… I need to go. They need me, my eyes, my head. They need Hyuuga Neji." He bent down lower to brush his cheek to hers and get his mouth to her ear. "Fate will bring me back to you, just as it brought me to you, my angel," he whispered quickly, feeling his love's cheeks heat up considerably, "Do not forget: you are the one who truly set me free. And when I return, we'll fly together, just you and I, through the broken, twisted sky. Can you wait for me, TenTen?"

She nodded quickly, reaching for the scroll strapped to her hips and bit her thumb, sliding the bleeding digit across the characters on the paper. From the smoke, an ornate set of kunai and a pair of pendants appeared. She handed the kunai to Neji, and he accepted them with an odd sort of reverence that was unlike him.

"These kunai…"

"Are my best and the only ten that never missed, no matter what I hit. They all have the angel wings engraved in the pommel, with the number 10 in between them. You'd better use these to protect yourself and bring you and the kunai back. And the pendant… it's yours to remember me by." TenTen handed the necklace to Neji, who clasped it at his neck. The charm was a simple silver and black heart pendant, which TenTen explained opened up to reveal a picture inside.

"Can I open it now?"

"You can open it when… when you can't see me anymore." Neji nodded; everyone assumed that they were speaking of the Byakugan. She took a step up to him and her somewhat calloused hand closing his hands around it as well. "You keep this close to your heart, and I'll keep my own close to mine." She gestured to the thin silver chain in her hand. "I may not be much of a girly-girl, but…" She laughed exasperatedly at this, but continued, "But this is all I've got to give you, because I've given you everything else." She took his pendant in her hand and hooked it around his neck, letting his hair fall over it. He did the same to her, and left his hands on her shoulders, looking down at his own feet before looking up.

"You have given me everything… everything I've ever needed and wanted in my lifetime and more. Now it's my turn."

"So you're assuming that you haven't fulfilled my life's wishes and dreams, Neji?" She shook her head, giggling at the irony. "You are a baka. Neji, I was just a Chinese-Japanese orphan without a last name to go by and an unhealthy addiction to weaponry before I met you. Before you, I was lonely, I had no goals, and I hadn't really tried in anything in my life. But then you came, and I wasn't lonely anymore, I had many goals to complete, and I tried. I tried for you, and I succeeded. And I already know your story, so don't go reminding me. It'll make you leaving that much harder." Her voice broke again, and the weak and fragile TenTen came up through the cracks. She bowed her head and held him close, then pushed him away.

"Go, Neji." The lump in her throat was audible. "Just go before I find a reason to make you stay."

"Kimi o aishiteru, TenTen."

"Kimi o aishiteru, Neji."

Neji stayed silent, but nodded, looking longingly at her shivering form before promptly walking off toward the others and dissolving into a barely noticeable black shadow, speeding away from the village, and away from the ones they loved.

Temari stopped watching them go and put an arm around TenTen's shoulder, walking her away from the other three girls. "You want to bunk with me tonight," she asked, "bunk with me" meaning "sleep over" in Temari language. TenTen nodded, her hair getting into her face, She brushed it away and sighed.

"I'll need to get some things first..." Temari turned to the other two kunoichi.

"You guys want to come too?"

Ino nodded, kneeling beside Sakura, lifting the pinkette's arm over her shoulder. "After I get her home and see what Ki- he left for me."

Hinata just nodded, holding her small hands together in front of her as she tried to stop crying.

Temari unhooked her arm from TenTen's shoulders and slowly walked toward her apartment, the one she bought when she decided she wasn't going back to Suna unless Shikamaru were there. '_Yeah.. we're all going to need a girl's night... to have someone to hold onto when they aren't there...'_

She looked up at the clouds, and then cursed herself for doing so. The clouds reminded her of...

"Shikamaru..." She continued to her apartment, a large lump rising in her throat.

_

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**Well, that was the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! I, for one, thought that this was a good change from the OCs I tried to work with in three of my other stories, which I'm editing as I type this. So expect new updates on those too, when I get to them. Time is kinda tight, what with school, track, and dealing with a long-distance relationship... not that I mind the relationship at all 3**

**-Youkai Koneko, extremely tired girl that still has track practice to go to -_-**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :D It makes me smile and helps me update!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This actually took me less time to update than my other fanfiction: I think it's cuz I actually have the plot in mind and the chapter was left open so I could use it better. XD Two thumbs up for me, I guess.**

**Here's the second chapter of ****Come Back Alive, ****with special thanks to **_**Awaii, **_**for being my first reviewer! This chapter's for you, I guess! XP**

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Come Back Alive

Chapter Two: Looking Closer and Lurking Shadows

With Temari

Temari arrived at her apartment after much lump-swallowing and quick intakes of breath. The clouds above her mocked her with their carefree air, floating above her in fluffy puffs. She couldn't bring herself to glare at them, though.

They were like a piece of Shikamaru.

She opened the door and slowly got everything prepared: Playstation 2, DDR mat, cheesy romance movies, kick ass action movies, and gallons of comfort food, aka ice cream and chocolate. She moved the couch out of the way and got out some make-up kits, then sat down in the center of the room and cried. Just sitting in her apartment, surrounded by things that shouldn't remind her of her lazy yet ingenious boyfriend, crying. Not the hard, sobby cry, but the quiet crying where only tears fell and a sad frown was plastered to your face. Finally, she wiped her eyes and got changed into her pajamas at 4:30 PM, settling on the couch.

"Too early to sleep…. But if Shika can do it, I guess I could try," she mumbled, tucking her hands underneath her and closing her slightly red eyes, trying to dream of something other than her Shikamaru.

With TenTen

TenTen walked toward her house, taking a well known path that avoided the village and stuck to the cooling shadows of the trees. As she sped from branch to branch, she felt like she was stepping on a well-worn footprint in the bark. She looked down once and saw it to be true; and there were some footprints almost identical to hers beside her.

Neji's footprints.

She closed her eyes and went faster, nearly flying out of the trees and onto the rooftops, resting finally at her apartment door, breathing hard. She fished for the key underneath the mat, finding it and unlocking her door. She kept her eyes closed as she walked into the apartment, not worried about running into anything, and headed straight for her small kitchen. Pouring some water into a glass she drank quickly and tried to drown the lump in her throat. She succeeded and put the glass in the sink, breathing a sigh of relief. Then she entered her room and the lump came back.

Hanging on her bedpost was Neji's old hitai-ate, the one with the straps hanging from the sides. She took it into her hands and held onto it, then pocketed it, not wanting to let it get lost. Then she turned to her dresser and eventually she had everything packed and ready to go for her sleep over at Temari's tonight: A pair of pajamas, a change of clothes, her iPod, toothbrush, her panda plushie, some extra hair ties, and a couple scrolls just in case. She decided against bringing any more clothes; can't bunk at Temari's forever.

She sighed as she passed through her living room with her eyes open this time, where pictures of Neji and her hung on the wall in a decorative pattern. They almost called to her, warping the actual images into something sinister and frightening. But when she blinked, they went back to being portraits; just hanging on the wall.

"Neji…" She shook her head and hurried out the door, hearing the 'click' of the lock behind her. Starting her way to the far side of the village, TenTen walked with what courage she had left away from her apartment and away from the stationary smirking faces of Neji and the forever present smiles of herself.

With Hinata

Hinata sniffed as she walked alone to the Hyuuga Household, her head bowed against the guards' apologetic looks and Hanabi's slightly concerned one. She went straight to her room and sat on her bed, looking at her wrist, where the bracelet Naruto gave her was fastened. She gingerly fingered the charms, stopping on the kanji for her name, her pupil-less eyes watering again as she remembered his words:

"_The kanji for Hinata is on there cuz you're a part of me, Hinata-chan! You're everything I love and everything I fight for, and not to mention you're kawaii! Everything that makes me up is on that bracelet, and I want you to have it so you don't forget me, 'k?"_

She covered the bracelet with her sleeve and quickly packed her clothes and toiletries into her travel bag, deciding to carry her fox plushie in her hand instead of keep it in the bag. With that she walked out, her head raised high because her father was just around the corner. She turned and there Hiashi was, waiting for her with his arms crossed.

"So Hinata, Naruto has left the village on an extended mission into enemy territory?"

Hinata nodded, fighting the tears welling up behind her eyes. "Hai. Neji-nii-san is on that mission as well." Hiashi nodded and closed his eyes, walking calmly past her.

"…Don't miss them too much, Hinata. You'll only regret it," he hissed as he walked past her, not stopping in his stride or breaking his posture. He just kept walking until he entered the darkness of the hallway and faded into nothingness. Hinata's eyes widened and she quickly stemmed the racing thoughts in her mind, settling on one: _'What does he mean "You'll only regret it?" Will something happen that will cause me to regret that choice?' _Then she changed course and thought, _'Is something going to happen to them that will make me feel worse than I do now?'_

She shook the thought from her mind and walked at a renewed pace to Temari's solitary apartment, determined to replace the new questioning fear she had bubbling in her stomach.

With Ino and Sakura

Ino had decided to go to her house first, for it was closer, and left Sakura on the couch with her father, and went immediately to her room. What she saw in there isn't what she was expecting. It was round, soft, warm, slightly scruffy, and it was…

"A puppy?" The white puppy turned around to look at her, cocking it's brown-marked head, then running up to her and jumping at her legs, yipping excitedly. She looked at the animal's neck more closely and saw a note attached to its collar. It read:

_Dear Ino-chan,_

_I hope you like her. She's one of Akamaru's pups: I'm gonna let you name her. She does look kind of like him, right? And her hair is kind of like mine: shaggy and soft. Take care of her while I'm gone, and think of her as a present. I made sure she recognized you, too. So she's not going to pee on anything of yours. Also, watch out for her—_

Ino was interrupted by the tiny pup's teeth biting into her ankle. She shook her leg and the pup let go, whimpering.

"I'm sorry, puppy, but you can't bite Mommy like that," she said, then returned to reading.

_--teeth; she likes to bite. Now you have a little piece of me to carry around with you, OK? And Ino-chan… I love you. This puppy will love you if you love it like you love me. That way it'll be easier for you and her to get along: can't have another Sakura on our hands, right?_

_Anyway, goodbye, Ino-chan,_

_Kiba_

She looked at the note for a couple more seconds before looking down at the whimpering puppy again. She reminded her so much of Kiba, it made her want to cry. Right down to the eyes. Then her sadness lessened, and she kneeled next to it. "Mommy's sorry, baby. It won't happen again." She pet the puppy's head and rubbed it's floppy ears, and that seemed to cheer her up. "Wanna help Mommy pack for a sleepover?" The small thing barked into response, and that got Ino to giggle. Her bark sounded so tiny, like a squeaky toy. Ino busily got everything ready, moving the puppy away from her shoes and picking up her clothes off the floor. Despite popular belief, Ino's room wasn't spotless.

When she was ready to go, she picked up the puppy and brought it down the stairs, then set it down next to the couch. She kneeled beside Sakura and lifted her up, draping the pinkette's limp arm over her shoulders again and walked out the door without saying goodbye to her mother and father, heading to Sakura's apartment next. It didn't take long, considering Sakura lived close by, but it was taxing on Ino's strength, lugging a dead weight everywhere.

"Man Sakura, you've gotta lose some pounds if you want to stay good-looking enough for Sasuke," she muttered under her breath, knocking on the door and waiting politely. It opened to reveal Sakura's mother.

"Why hello Ino-chan. My, my, what has my daughter gotten into this time," Mrs. Haruno said, ushering Ino inside and settling her on the couch.

"Actually ma'am, Sasuke knocked her out again," Ino explained, and Mrs. Haruno got angry.

"Did that boy break my Sakura's heart again? Because if he did, I'll--"

"No, no, no! They, Sasuke and the other boys, just left for a dangerous extended mission and Sasuke didn't want her to follow them. You know how she is," Ino said quickly, raising her hands up in the air in panic. Mrs. Haruno nodded.

"Well, alright. Let's wake her up then, shall we?" Ino nodded and they placed their hands on Sakura's forehead, their hands glowing green. After a moment, Sakura woke up.

"S…Sasuke?"

"He left with the others already, Sakura. You're back home," Ino said softly, flicking some of Sakura's bangs out of her face.

"Yes dear, you're at home. Ino-chan brought you," Mrs. Haruno said, helping her daughter sit up on her elbows. Sakura shook her head and quickly got up, seeming to search for something. She bent down to look under the couch, then behind it, and then in other parts of the living room.

"Umm, dear, what exactly are you doing?"

Sakura didn't stop looking around, but answered, "Sasuke said that when I woke up there would be something there that would help me remember him: remember him as the Sasuke that loves me, not the bad Sasuke. So now I'm looking for it." Ino got up and helped her look, and after they had scanned the entire living room, Ino suggested they try the bedroom.

"Of course," Sakura said, running into her room and looking under her bed. When Ino finally got in the doorframe, she saw Sakura on the ground, holding a photo album.

"Sakura? Is that…?"

"Yeah. It's a photo album about me and Sasuke," she said quietly, opening it to the first page. There were a couple pictures of them from their Genin days, mainly of Sakura clinging to Sasuke and of Sasuke looking uninterested. She flipped another page, and they were of Sakura looking up at the sky with Sasuke on the Academy rooftop from behind. Their hands were brushing. Sakura smiled lightly at the picture before turning the page again. It was when Sasuke had been brought back to the village by Naruto, at the "Welcome Back Sasuke" party.

It was where they shared their first kiss.

She closed the book and sighed, looking up at Ino. "Wanna help me choose some clothes for the sleepover, Ino?" Ino nodded and walked in, her puppy following in faithfully behind her. Sakura raised a pink brow.

"What's with the puppy?"

"Kiba-kun gave her to me," Ino said proudly and the puppy barked in confirmation. Sakura giggled and Ino made another comment.

"The way she follows me, you'd think she were TenTen and I was Neji." Sakura lost some of her giggles, but nodded a little.

"Yeah, TenTen does follow him like a puppy; I personally think it's cute. Always having his back and all, the love and devotion… very romantic if you ask me."

"Yeah, whatever." They went back to picking clothes and were soon finished, walking out the door with the mementos from their boyfriends in their hands, Ino's puppy bouncing happily behind them.

With Temari

Temari awoke to a soft knocking on the door and groaned a little. She stretched and tossed her four pigtails up before getting up and answering the door. It was Hinata, and off a couple yards away, TenTen was trudging up the dirt road. "Hey guys, come on in," Temari said, yawning slightly, covering it lazily with the back of her hand.

"D-Decided to t-t-take a leaf o-out of Sh-Shikamaru-san's b-b-b-book, I see," Hinata said quietly, setting her things down beside the couch as she slipped her shoes off.

Temari smiled slightly. "Yeah, Lazy-ass is rubbing off on me." TenTen came in and kicked off her shoes as if she owned the place, collapsing on the couch and throwing her bag of things over the other end. Temari raised an eyebrow. "Right at home, aren't you Panda?"

TenTen stuck her tongue out. "Your apartment is like mine: cozy and quiet. I like it a lot."

"Well, with those two Green foghorns you have to put up with, I'm not surprised," Temari joked, taking a seat next to TenTen. Hinata joined them on the end, pinching her fingers together awkwardly.

"A-Ano…"

"Yes Hinata," TenTen asked, always the loving older sister.

"C-Can we p-please p-play DDR now," the heiress asked, pointing shyly at the muted game. TenTen's eyes got big, as did her smile and Temari grinned.

"Yes! Of course we can!" The bun-headed girl jumped over the back of the couch and grabbed her bag. "I just have to put up my stuff and Neji's--" She instantly stopped and the bag slid a couple inches off of her shoulder. She reached into her pocket and pulled out Neji's hitai-ate, gripping it in a remembrance sort of way. She put it back in and regained her smile.

"Just gonna put this up with my stuff and I'll come, OK?" Then she ran down the hallway, still smiling. Temari shook her head at the younger girl.

"She's a strange one, despite being sane," she said, stepping on "Start" on the DDR mat. Hinata shook her head.

"N-Not strange… j-just understanding," she said in defense of her friend. "She knows th-that Neji-nii-san would not l-like it if sh-she m-m-missed him too m-much. TenT-Ten is being st-strong, in h-her own w-way."

Temari nodded, understanding her shy friend's reasoning. "And here I was, crying in the floor like a widow," she mumbled, scrolling through the songs. TenTen came back, her smile not as full, but still there.

"OK, I've decided I want to dance to Angel's Song by Ayumi Hamasaki," she said.

Temari smirked. "Wanting to start slow?"

TenTen smirked right with her, revealing a prefect copy of Neji's patented Bastard Smirk. "Maybe… then work it up to something demonic. You in?"

"Always."

TenTen stepped on the "Start" button and began to move, getting into the rhythm. While she was playing, the doorbell rang and then Ino and Sakura stepped right in without letting Temari get the door. Sakura smiled when she saw TenTen dancing.

"You guys at it again?"

Temari smiled. "Hey, it's a party!" Then she noticed the furry thing following Ino around. "What the hell is that?"

Ino picked up the puppy and held her to her chest defensively. "She's a puppy, and Kiba gave her to me! I can't just leave a puppy at my house y'know!" Then she eyed TenTen. "You'd better not eat her."

TenTen, who was still dancing, gave Ino a sideways glare. "Just because I'm Chinese-Japanese does not mean you have to bitch to me about what the Chinese do. In case you haven't noticed, my customs are JAPANESE!" She jumped in the air and hit the mat again, her feet moving a little faster. "And you don't see me heading over to the Inuzuka Clan to get some dinner, now do you?" TenTen furiously continued playing the game, her steps getting more forceful than necessary.

Sakura gave Ino a disapproving look. "Y'know, that was racist and really mean towards TenTen, Ino-pig." Ino flipped her hair and sighed.

"Whatever—Oh, and no target practice on her either," the Yamanaka said, wagging her finger at the weapon's mistress. TenTen sighed as she began the finishing steps to her song.

"God, who the hell do you think I am, Ino? A high treason criminal charged with animal cruelty and of being inhumane?" She made it sound like a joke.

Ino flipped her bang and sighed, repositioning the puppy in her arms. "Well, considering your boyfriend is a walking ice block, I'm surprised you haven't gained his hostile nature by being his lost puppy all the time." She tried to stop herself as soon as the words came out, but she couldn't stop herself in time. And the tone didn't sound one bit like a joke.

The song ended with TenTen shaking with anger, reaching for the buttons of her shirt. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"TenTen, not to sound disapproving," she said warily,"but is stripping really going to help us out here--" Then she eyed the senbon between TenTen's fingers and tensed. "Oh shit."

The pissed off brunette took a step off the mat, not even blinking when her grade on the song was "A+" and her score was off the charts. The fury in her eyes was only for Ino.

"Yamanaka Ino, how dare you insult Neji and I like that? Especially behind his back; you should at least have the balls to say it to his face! And if you want a lost puppy, then lose that damned dog of yours, because I am NOT a lost puppy!"

"The hell you are! You treat Neji like he's some sort of God or something! I'm surprised you don't have a shrine in your room dedicated to him!"

"And this is coming from the one who tried to seduce him in the Forest of Death just to get a scroll? At least I don't degrade myself to get what I want!"

"I was only showing off my natural beauty, dear TenTen, something of which that you don't have!"

TenTen was about to throw the senbon when Hinata and Temari stepped between them.

"OK, listen to me! If you want to fight, take it outside! I brought us together so we wouldn't be damn depressed because our men left, but obviously you all can't last a day! You're all just angry and pissed off because they're gone and you couldn't stop them; don't take it out on each other!" The sandy blonde's voice rang in the fighting kunoichis' ears.

"W-We all f-feel your p-p-p-pain, but we're tr-trying to m-m-make the m-most of it. Y-You guy sh-should t-t-too," Hinata said, trying to be confident enough to attempt to heal her friends' harmful words.

They let the information sink in, and after a minute, TenTen let her senbon fall through her fingers and went into the guest room without a word, shutting the door forcefully behind her. Ino just flipped her hair again and scratched her puppy behind the ears.

"Heh, I would've gone for a fight." She sounded like Kiba when she said it.

"A fight you would've lost. You know her skills are superior to yours; you just can't fight her," Sakura reasoned, putting a hand on Ino's shoulder, which Ino moved away from.

"She still could've at least done something in her defense. I doubt those senbon could've hurt anyway," the blonde retorted stubbornly, setting the puppy down and taking off her shoes. Temari rounded on her, her expression furious.

"Unlike me, you don't have any wind ninjutsu to protect yourself from her attacks. And if you got her pissed enough, your vital points are clearly visible, baka. Now get your act together before I open up a can of whoop ass on you and throw your ass out of my home," the Suna kunoichi said with authority, going into the kitchen and busying herself with cooking dinner.

"Damn, what the hell did I do? I was just speaking the truth, right Sakura?"

Sakura shook her head and put a hand on Ino's shoulder. "Ino, you just insulted her, Neji, and their relationship. Don't you think that there's a much better time and place to do things like that? I mean, what would you have done if she insulted you and Kiba?"

"She did insult me!"

"But not Kiba. She just defended herself and didn't stoop down to your level. And seriously Ino, those comments about her Chinese heritage were uncalled for. She may have tried to joke about it, but inside she must be really hurt."

"She basically called me a whore!"

"And you basically called her a lovesick puppy that eats dogs and likes to rip things apart and said that her boyfriend was an emotionless ice block. I mean, maybe we all thought that he was at one point, but would an emotionless ice block really kiss TenTen like that?"

"What the hell do you know, you weren't awake!"

"I've seen them kiss before. I was walking by their training grounds in hopes that I could get TenTen to come with me for a girl's day since you guys were on a mission, and what I saw was--"

"Two teenagers sucking face? Jeez, Sakura, don't you know what it looks like? You've done it yourself!"

Sakura frowned and her pink eyebrows knitted together. "No, it was more than that. Neji looked pained--"

"She's probably a horrible kisser then."

"No! Neji looked pained and TenTen did too, and in between the kisses they were talking about something. Something involving the Caged Bird Seal and the Main house of the Hyuuga Clan, from what I gathered from the aggressive tone. And then Neji broke down: he wasn't crying, but he just looked weak, like he had lost something dear to him. Then TenTen kissed his forehead, which I realized was uncovered and said something else. Then Neji… he just lifted her off her feet and kissed her so passionately…." Sakura held her hand to her chin and thought, as if trying to remember what happened next. "Oh yeah, and when they finally stopped and Neji got his hitai-ate back on I came out and asked for TenTen. There was a longing look that I didn't miss and then she walked with me to my house, but she didn't seem very… attentive. It's like her mind was somewhere else entirely."

"Oh, I know where it was: she was probably wondering if she should've taken the kiss further and screwed Neji right there," Ino seethed, still angry because she didn't understand what she did.

Sakura threw up her hands and went into the dining room, seating herself in a chair and groaning, saying, "You're hopeless, Ino! Hopeless!"

Hinata didn't speak to Ino, but rather went quietly down the hallway and knocked on the door to the guest bedroom. "T-TenTen-chan? M-May I c-come in?"

"The doors unlocked," came the soft reply from the behind the wood. Hinata stepped in and saw TenTen leaning against the headboard on the bed, her shirt still unbuttoned, looking out the large window to the sunset beyond. Hinata slightly reddened; her friend's well-endowed cleavage was showing, along with some more hidden senbon and other such weapons in her breast bindings. She willed herself to ignore it and looked to TenTen's face. iPod earphones were in her ears, but Hinata couldn't tell whether the music was playing or not. The Hyuuga heiress sat down next to her and touched her hand. The older girl's eyes looked up into Hinata's, and then slowly turned away.

"H-Have you c-calmed d-d-down, TenT-Ten-chan," Hinata asked, trying to make eye contact again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a little… I guess you could say out of control. Gomen." TenTen's thumb twitched and Hinata could hear faint music from the earphones. She looked down and saw the song title and artist curiously.

"I'm A-Already There, by Lo-Lonestar?" She hadn't pegged TenTen as a country music girl.

"Neji made a playlist for me before leaving, apparently. This was the first song on it." She was staring intently at two birds, who were flying around each other, getting ready to rest for the night.

"But in th-the lyrics," Hinata stammered, making TenTen raise a brow; she obviously hadn't expected Hinata to know the song. "Y-You two d-don't have any ch-children... d-do y-you?" TenTen couldn't bring herself to smile at the innocence of her friend.

"No, not biologically anyway. We think that you guys, the Rookie Nine, are our children. We've always felt like that with you guys," she said, still looking outside to the two birds, who had now nested in a distant tree. Some water seemed to glisten behind her eyes. Hinata nodded, instantly understanding.

"S-So, are you re-ready t-to be in the s-same r-room with I-Ino?" TenTen was buttoning herself up now, something that Hinata was thankful for. She wasn't really comfortable with the removing of clothes amongst her peers.

"Not really, but we'll see when we get out there," she sighed, the song changing to the next one on the list. Hinata helped her up and tried to look into TenTen's eyes again, but she averted hers, instead looking at the iPod in her hand.

"Wh-Why won't y-you l-look at m-me, T-TenTen-chan," she asked, sounding hurt.

TenTen closed her eyes. "Your eyes are just like Neji's. I can't…" She slowly opened her eyes and looked dead into Hinata's. "Gomen nasai, Hinata-chan." Hinata gave her a hug and she returned it, gulping down a lump in her throat.

"It's alr-right, T-TenTen-chan. I understand," she said, patting the taller and older girl's back. Then she let go and took TenTen's hand, opening the door and leading her down the hallway. Temari noticed them from the kitchen's window-in-the-wall, so she waved and then went back to her work of making dinner, which was going to be spaghetti. Ino was sitting on the couch and watching her puppy try to play DDR, not noticing the bun-head kunoichi behind her until she cleared her throat.

"Oh," Ino said, turning around to face them. "Hey… well, I guess I should say I'm sorry, but I want you to say you're sorry too."

TenTen nodded. "Yeah, I basically called you a whore back there, but you called me way more. I don't have an animal cruelty bone in my body and I sure as hell don't eat them either. I may follow Neji around, but that's only because we promised to protect each other's blind spots. I don't want him dying on me. I may not be as beautiful as the rest of you guys, but you don't have to rub it in. I get it: I'm average. It's been said and done for the past 18 years. And Neji may seem an emotionless ice-block to you, but that's only because he doesn't trust you with his emotions. He trusts me and Hinata, and that's all." She crossed her arms and waited for Ino's response, turning up her iPod a little bit. They could now vaguely hear the song "If Everyone Cared" by Nickelback.

"OK, OK, I get it. You have reasons for doing what you do and all. But I had a reason to try and seduce Neji in the Forest of Death: get his scroll so we could pass. And like you know, it didn't work. He went straight back to you, if my sources are right. And yeah, I guess that picking on your Chinese roots and getting on about your weapons wasn't a good thing to do either. Just being a bitch, no offense puppy," she said, looking down at the puppy now rolling on the DDR mat. "And you really are beautiful, TenTen, in your own way. It's just not as obvious as ours is." She stood up and sat on the back of the couch, crossing her legs and looking at TenTen with a sorry expression. "And I guess I shouldn't have insulted your relationship: to be honest, you guys are strange to me. It's all so mature and devoted and stuff… It makes me wonder why. We're all sad and angry, so I shouldn't have taken it so far."

"I guess what Ino's trying to say is that she fears what she doesn't understand, and that's why she insulted you," Sakura simplified, getting up and walking over, leaning on the edge of the couch with one elbow.

"You say our relationship is mature to you? Mature in what way," TenTen queried, a little confused with Ino's meaning.

"Well, you guys are just... well, like a well-oiled machine. And the way you guys touch, no matter how rare that is... it's like you both know where everything is, what everything is, what it feels like..." TenTen reddened the tiniest bit. "Am I right? Have you guys matured that far?"

She recieved no answer, just a song change: "Better Than Me" by Hinder. Hinata raised an eyebrow; why would Neji choose that song for TenTen's playlist?

"You guys gonna say sorry now, or am I gonna have to throw your asses outside for a couple hours," Temari called from the kitchen. TenTen nodded.

"Yeah, we're making up now," she said, turning to Ino and smiling. "Gomen, Ino. Can I have a hug now?"

Ino laughed, uncrossing her legs and saying," Gomen nasai TenTen, and of course you can." They each took a step and hugged, then TenTen let go to give Ino a noogie. "Oi, oi, oi, watch the hair!"

TenTen looked up at the others and smiled devilishly. "DOG PILE INO!!" TenTen brought Ino to the ground, then Sakura went down, then Hinata on top of her, and then Temari ran from the kitchen and tackled all four of them, laughing like she was high.

"Gah, I can't breathe," Ino yelled, muffled by the bodies. "Get your fat asses off me, right now!"

"What's the magic word, Platinum Blondie," Temari asked, smirking.

"PLEASE!"

"Nope!"

Ino growled and tried to get up, only to be grabbed by Sakura and pulled back under. "Why me?"

"Because we love you, Ino-chan!" Ino's puppy barked and then jumped on Temari's lap, wagging her tail happily.

"No puppy, not you too! Get off of Mommy, right now!"

"Don't you think it's time you named her Ino? You can't just call her "puppy" forever," TenTen said, giving Ino an extra squeeze around the neck.

"If you let me up, I might just do that," Ino said, trying to wriggle from TenTen's grasp. TenTen let go and Ino broke through the rest, standing up and holding her hands above her head in triumph. "I LIVE!"

"Duh Ino, we weren't gonna kill you under there… without the proper tools," Temari said, causing Hinata to shyly giggle.

"Y-Yes I-Ino-chan, we w-would never t-take your l-life. Y-You're d-d-dear to u-us."

"Yeah, Ino-pig. Even if I hate you, I still can't get rid of you," Sakura said, giving Ino a big smile.

"I can't kill you; people would get mad at me," TenTen joked, and Ino smiled.

"Oh, you guys!" Ino's puppy jumped up at Ino's legs and Ino brought her up in her arms, letting her lick her face. "I love you too, puppy! It's time to give you a name!" Ino ducked her head in thought and paced around, her puppy still licking her and wagging it's small tail. "Hmm… how about Hane? How's that sound, puppy?" She yipped and squirmed around in Ino's arms in an effort to get in the platinum blonde's face.

"Aww, look: She loves it," Sakura said, smiling warmly.

"Fine," Ino said, lifting the puppy by her armpits and holding it in front of her face. "Hane it is," she smiled. Everyone laughed as Hane wiggled in the air and barked her squeaky toy bark again, so Ino put her down and let her run around.

'_Arigato, Kiba-kun… I'll love her just as I love you. Please, don't die out there.'_

With the Shinobi

Off in the distant woods, getting farther and farther away from the kunoichi, a certain Inuzuka sighed, and Akamaru did as well; though his ended in a high pitched whine.

"I know boy, I miss her too…" the surrounding woods were darker than the lively plants back at his home village, and he wasn't a fan of the ominous wind blowing through the air. It was laced with many unfamiliar scents, but none were of the enemy; not yet. It was slowly getting dark, though he was sure that it was only 5 PM.

"This place unsettles me," he heard Shikamaru say from behind him. Kiba nodded.

"I know, I hate it."

"Don't worry! After a little rest it'll all be better," Naruto said optimistically. Hinata seemed to be rubbing off on him. They were getting close to the rest stop that Shikamaru had mapped out before they left and were secretly wishing that they were there already. They were already so far away; the leaves around them had changed and the trees had gotten thinner. Konoha was a slowly fading memory behind them.

"I dunno," Kiba mumbled under his breath. His canine-like eyes narrowed as Akamaru's deep bark shook the branches around them. Shikamaru stopped the rest and turned looked to Kiba.

"Is it the enemy?" Kiba crouched down and sniffed the air, then growled.

"Yeah…"

Neji activated his Byakugan and Shikamaru and Naruto flanked beside him.

"I guess we're not getting to our rest stop as planned," the Byakugan wielder stated, dropping deftly into his Jyuuken stance.

"Get ready," Shikamaru whispered, and he and the rest concealed their Chakra, waiting for the enemy to pass them. Naruto couldn't resist the crippling pressure of the silence and eventually burst,

"WE'RE READY WHEN YOU ARE, DATTEBAYO!"

A low chuckle followed by the clink of chain links sounded softly in front of them, the body that created the noise hidden by the darkness of his clothing and the shadows created by the trees.

"Then let's go…" the adversary said, then quickly threw his kusarigama at the group. His pure black kusarigama.

A kusarigama no one but Neji could see.

* * *

**OK, that didn't come out as well as I though it would. But still, it isn't like I had the time.**

**1) It snowed here and I was playing in it: I hardly ever get snow, so I was like a kid in a candy store.**

**2) I was... incapcitated. -slightly embarassed look- I hate female problems.....**

**3) My dog, Oscar, had a sort of seizure/stroke type thing. He scared us, but he's fine. It just totally destroyed my concentration and gave me writer's block.**

**4) I have a big history report, English project, and book report on historical fiction of the Japanese internment camps to do. So that took up most of my time as well.**

**5) Track. Enough said.**

**Anyway, those are my crappy reasons. I hope that you still liked it anyway.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: Fight Scenes!! The strange man with the kusarigama revealed!**

**-Youkai Koneko**


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